Official School of Record Mediterranean Nutrition, Public Health & Ethical Food Systems
An interdisciplinary field-based course examining the Mediterranean Diet as a framework for nutrition, prevention, and community health, using Greece as a living case study.
Offered by the Hellenic Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Research (HCISR)
School of Record: Arcadia Abroad
Why This Course and Why Now?
The Mediterranean Diet is one of the most evidence-based dietary frameworks in the world, yet its full depth, rooted in Greek agricultural traditions, communal eating, and preventive medicine, is rarely examined in its living context. Greece offers a unique lens: a country where ancient food philosophy, modern chronic disease challenges, and vibrant local food systems intersect.
This course uses Greece as a contemporary public health and nutrition laboratory, combining classroom instruction, field-based learning, and community engagement to examine how food shapes health across the lifespan.
3
Undergraduate Credits
Awarded through Arcadia Abroad as the official School of Record
27
Days On-Site
Full immersive program in Athens, May 24 – June 19, 2027
4
Field Destinations
Athens, Aegina, Delphi, and the Peloponnese
3
Guest Lectures & NGO Visits
Expert lecture on refugee nutrition; two NGO visits
Learning Outcomes
Guided by expert faculty in clinical nutrition and public health, students develop a deep understanding of Mediterranean dietary models, food systems, and community health — through seminars, field laboratories, guest lectures, and applied community engagement.
Analyze Mediterranean Dietary Models
Examine Mediterranean dietary models and preventive nutrition practices using public-health frameworks.
Evaluate Food Access & Sustainability
Evaluate food access, sustainability, and community nutrition challenges using ethical and public-health principles.
Interpret Cultural Food Practices
Interpret cultural and historical food practices within contemporary Greek health and community-care contexts.
Apply Evidence-Based Nutrition
Apply evidence-based Mediterranean nutrition principles to real-world community health and food-justice scenarios.
Integrate Cultural, Ethical & Public-Health Perspectives
Integrate cultural, ethical, and public-health perspectives in applied nutrition and community health analysis.
Who Is This Course For?
No formal prerequisites are required. Students from diverse academic backgrounds are welcome. The course is particularly well-suited for undergraduate students in the following fields:
Public Health & Nutrition Sciences
Seeking hands-on experience with Mediterranean dietary models, food systems, and community nutrition in a real-world Greek context.
Study Abroad Participants
Looking to combine rigorous academic coursework with immersive experiential learning across Athens, Aegina, Delphi, and the Peloponnese.
Health Sciences & Dietetics
Interested in evidence-based nutrition, preventive medicine, and the intersection of food culture and public health.
Future Food & Community Health Professionals
Preparing for careers in dietetics, public health, food policy, community nutrition, or sustainable food systems.
Curriculum: 3 Modules, 12 Sessions
The course moves from the foundations of Mediterranean nutrition and public health, through food systems and cultural ethics, to applied field-based learning and community synthesis.
Module 1 · Sessions 1–4
Mediterranean Diet & Preventive Nutrition
Nutrition as a public health system, Mediterranean diet evidence & health outcomes, physical care & preventive health, Hippocratic nutrition & preventive medicine.
Module 2 · Sessions 5–8
Food Systems, Culture & Ethics
Communal eating & cultural ethics (Deipnosophists), nutrition in antiquity, food access & social equity, local production & ethical food systems.
Module 3 · Sessions 9–12
Applied Field Learning
Wine in the Mediterranean diet, marine diets in Greece, olive oil & monastic diet, farm-to-table nutrition & local food systems.
Assignments
Assessment is designed to build progressively, from active participation and guided reflection to applied case analysis and a final community health project.
Participation & Seminar Engagement
Active participation in seminars, workshops, field laboratories, and guest lectures, including preparation and class discussion contributions.
Applied Case Analysis Papers
Written case analysis papers applying Mediterranean nutrition and public health frameworks to real-world food and community health scenarios.
Guided Reflection Journals
Structured reflection journals connecting field-based experiences with course concepts in nutrition, food systems, and community health.
Final Nutrition & Community Health Project
Final applied project integrating course learning, analyzing a nutrition or food-system challenge and proposing evidence-based community health responses.
Program Experience
A rich, multi-format learning environment combining classroom instruction, guest lectures, field laboratories, and structured field trips across Athens, Aegina, Delphi, and the Peloponnese.
Faculty-Led Seminars
12 structured academic sessions covering Mediterranean nutrition, food systems, cultural ethics, preventive medicine, and community health.
Field Trip: Aegina
Day trip to Aegina — pistachio cultivation, local food production, and community wellbeing on the island.
Field Trip: Delphi
Day trip to Delphi — Oracle site, Hosios Loukas monastery, and honey farm visit exploring monastic diets.
3-Day Trip: Peloponnese
Three-day field laboratory — wine, marine diets, olive oil production, monastic diet, and farm-to-table nutrition in Sparta and Monemvasia.
Guest Lecture & NGO Visits
Expert lecture on refugee nutrition and food insecurity; two NGO visits on community health and disability support in Greece.
Orientation & Welcome
Arrival, airport pickup, orientation at T16 Athens, Central Market visit (Varvakios & Spice Street), Athens food walk, and welcome dinner on Days 1–2.
Meet the Faculty
Learn from an expert practitioner in clinical nutrition and metabolic bone disease, embedded in the Greek health and academic landscape.
Theano Talamagka, MSc
Faculty — Clinical Dietitian & PhD Candidate
Licensed Clinical Dietitian–Nutritionist and PhD Candidate with 10+ years of experience in clinical nutrition, chronic disease prevention, and community health. MSc in Metabolic Bone Diseases, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Expert in Mediterranean diet, healthy ageing, and nutrition for vulnerable populations. Teaching experience at IEK Alfa.
Course Details
- Course Code: HCISR_NUTR_345_01012026
- Course Title: Mediterranean Nutrition, Public Health & Ethical Food Systems
- Subject: Public Health, Nutrition, Health Sciences
- Credits: 3 undergraduate credits
- Contact Hours: 40
- Term: Summer 2027
- Dates: May 24 – June 19, 2027
- Location: Athens, Greece (with field trips to Aegina, Delphi, and the Peloponnese)
- Format: On-site, field-based
- School of Record: Arcadia Abroad (Arcadia University | The College of Global Studies)
- On-site Provider: HCISR — Hellenic Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and Research
Contact & Apply
This program is offered in partnership with Arcadia Abroad, the official School of Record, to support undergraduate students studying abroad in Athens.
HCISR | ASCLE+ ATHENS EXPERIENCE — SUMMER 2027
Ready to Study Mediterranean Nutrition & Community Health in Greece?
Join a cohort of American undergraduate students exploring the Mediterranean Diet, ethical food systems, and public health — in one of the world's most compelling academic settings.